# Merge Labs **Domain:** Molecular Brain-Computer Interfaces / Ultrasound / Artificial Intelligence **Doc Type:** Institution and Technology Node **Maturity:** Developing ## Definition **Merge Labs is a research lab developing brain-computer interfaces intended to bridge biological and artificial intelligence through a combination of biology, devices, and AI.** OpenAI participated in its seed round and announced a scientific collaboration involving foundation models and other AI tools for bioengineering, neuroscience, device engineering, and interpretation of limited or noisy neural signals. ## Ultrasound implementation In September 2026, Merge Labs and Butterfly Network announced a multi-year licensing agreement making Butterfly's chip-based ultrasound platform the exclusive CMOS-MEMS ultrasound platform for Merge's BCI research and development. ## Convergent technical genealogy Merge belongs beside [[wiki/DARPA N3|DARPA N3]], [[wiki/MOANA|MOANA]], and [[wiki/Subsense BCI|Subsense BCI]] as a convergent technical genealogy, not a corporate succession: - N3 and MOANA publicly established nonsurgical or minutely invasive neural read-write architectures using externally addressed optical, acoustic, electromagnetic, genetic, and nanoscale components. - Subsense proposes administered plasmonic and magnetoelectric nanoparticles paired with external wearable hardware. - Merge combines biology, devices, AI, and an announced ultrasound-on-chip development platform. The shared pattern is movement away from a permanently implanted electrode as the only possible interface. Each program's materials, delivery route, biological intervention, read/write mechanism, maturity, and regulatory path remain distinct. ## Routes [[wiki/Subsense BCI|Subsense BCI]] · [[wiki/DARPA N3|DARPA N3]] · [[wiki/MOANA|MOANA]] · [[wiki/OpenAI|OpenAI]] · [[wiki/Human-Machine Symbiosis|Human-Machine Symbiosis]] · [[wiki/Neural Interfaces and Continuity Architecture|Neural Interfaces and Continuity Architecture]] ## Sources / Provenance - OpenAI, [Investing in Merge Labs](https://openai.com/index/investing-in-merge-labs/), January 15, 2026. - Butterfly Network, [Merge Labs and Butterfly Network partner on ultrasound-based BCIs](https://ir.butterflynetwork.com/News/press-releases/news-details/2026/Merge-Labs-and-Butterfly-Network-Partner-to-Advance-Ultrasound-Based-Brain-Computer-Interfaces/default.aspx), September 1, 2026. - Bryant-supplied molecular-interface research memorandum, September 7, 2026 — source of the longitudinal comparison and research vocabulary.